Method and apparatus for conducting and making records and reports of transportation of railroad cars



Dec. 31, 1929. M. GIBBS 1,741,229

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONDUCTING AND MAKING RECORDS AND REPORTS OF TRANSPORTATION OF RAILROAD CARS Filed Feb. 3, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet l Fig.3

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Dec. 31, 1929. 335 1,741,229 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONDUCTING AND MAKING RECORDS AND REPORTS OF TRANSIORTATION OF RAILROAD cARs Dec. 31, 1929. GIBBS 1,741,229

- METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONDUCTING AND IIAKING RECORDS AND REPORTS 01- TRANSPORTATION OF RAILROAD CARS Filed Feb. 3, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 M Fig; A;

gilkCllrOl LEON 14.61 555 Gnome Patented Dec. 31 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LEON lVI. GIBBS, OF BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO TWO-CAR TRANSPORTATION COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF ALABAMA METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONDUCTING AND MAKING RECORDS AND REPORTS OF TRANSPORTATION OF RAILROAD CARS Substitute for application Serial No. 573,754, filed July 8, 1922. This application filed February 3, 1928. Serial No. 251,723.

My invention relates to an improved method and apparatus for conducting and making records and reports of the transportation ofv railroad cars, and my invention is based upon the broadly novel idea of providing for each railroad car an accompanying representative or dummy car which is utilized for facilitating the handling of its respective railroad car, and of recording the requisite data relating to said car during the entire time that the latter is in existence as a railroad car.

This application is a substitute for an application Serial No. 573,754, filed July 8th, 1922.

It is my purpose to provide convenient means for the carriage by the train conductor of the dummy cars, corresponding to the cars of his train, and also apparatus for the distribution and handling of the dummies at all station points or points where switching is done, which is preferably a system of tracks corresponding to the yard tracks at such point, to the end that the dummies may be maintained thereon at all times in corresponding position to their respective railroad cars by going through the same movements.

A further important feature of my invention is the provision of each dummy car with means not only to carry a way bill or the like, but also to reproduce mechanically the data of such way bill required for the records or reports at any point.

l y invention further comprises improved means for the assemblage of a series of dummies representing the ears of an incoming or outgoing train and for taking any desired number of reproductions from the mechanical way-bill data reproducing means thereon, such records and reports to be utilized for the abstract, interchange, consists, passlng reports, etc, and by this means I eliminate written records and reports.

My invention further comprises the novel details of construction and arrangements of parts, which in their preferred embodiments only are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 illustrates in plan view a part of the yard tracks for the dummy cars corresponding to the yard tracks for freight cars at a typical switching point, a number of the dummy cars being shown distributed over the tracks in position corresponding-to the position of their respective railroad cars on the corresponding yard tracks.

Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view of one of the dummy cars.

Fig. 3 is a detail view of one of the dummy switches; and

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view through Fig. 1 taken on the line 4 l.

Figs. 5 and 6 are respectively enlarged top and bottom plan views of a dummy car.

Fig. 7 is an end view of Fig. 5.

Fig. 8 is a central longitudinal section of Fig. 6.

Fig. 9 is a perspective View of what I term a copy dummy car adapted for use by switchmen in handling cars at a switching point.

Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the dummy car print track, the dotted lines showing the dummies presented in printing position.

Fig. 11 is a plan view of the dummy print track.

Fig. 12 is a longitudinal vertical cross-sectional view of the same showing the rolls for the plain and gummed paper strips on which reproductions of dummy way-bill data are printed.

13 is a detail view of a dummy car carrier.

Fig. 14 is an end View of a protected carrier for copy dummy cars. 7

Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.

As is well understood by those skilled in the art, the present system ofrailroad transportation, particularly as applied to the handling of freight, requires at the points of origin and destination and at each intermediate point where the train is stopped for switching cars, that records be kept of each car, such records involving the writing again and again by various clerks of the data for identifying the car and its contents, routing, destination, consignee, shipper, etc, which data will hereafter be referred to as its waybill data. Not only is this repeated writing of the way-bill data expensive and cumbersome, but, what is far more important, each time the way-bill data is copied the liability of human error creeps in and when it occurs it requires much outlay of time and effort to correct it.

Moreover, referring to the physical handling of the railroad cars by the yardmasters and switchmen, the present transportation system does not visibly disclose to the yardmaster, by the system itself and by a glance, the character of the cars in his yard nor their location and this data is best obtainable at present by a physical survey of the yards themselves, which obviously is impractical for many purposes.

I have conceived that if, by a practical system, I can cause to travel with each railroad car its corresponding record data carrier which I term a dummy car, and I can handle these dummy cars at each point exactly as their respective railroad cars are handled in the railroad yards at that point, and if each of these dummies can be equipped not only with means for carrying car and way-bill data, but also for mechanically and accurately reproducing same at each point on a record slip, I will have made possible a new and improved system of transportation which will reduce the possibility of error to a minimum, which will curtail the clerical and yardmaster force and the stationery required for its operation to a very small ercentage of that now required, and which will greatly facilitate the breaking up and mak ing up of trains, the loading and distribution of cars, and, in general, yard operation and its supervision.

With the above general objects in view,I will now proceed to describe in more particular detail not only the method of conducting my improved system of railroad transportation but also what I regard as the preferred apparatus to that end, it being understood that various and sundry changes in details of apparatus may be made to accord with the ideas of Various railroad ofiicials but without however departing from the essential ideas upon which my present invention is based.

Referring to the embodiment of the apparatus for use with my system which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, I show in Fig. 1 a typical dummy yard, there being a yard provided at each station or switch point. The yard, as shown, comprises a main track 1, a lead track 2 and a plurality of switching tracks 3, all of which are arranged to correspond to the arrangement of the main, lead and switching tracks of the railroad yard at that station point. Each dummy track in length bears the same proportion to its corresponding yard track that the dummy length bears to the average length of a freight car. The tracks may be made up in any simple and inexpensive fashion,

that shown comprising the use of spaced metal plates 4 having their adjacent spaced edges upturned as at 5 to form a track. The plates are suitably anchored by supports 6 to the base or other foundation 7. At the point of junction of each switch track with a lead track I provide a typical switch point 8 pivoted at 9 and controlled by a spring 10 so mounted with relation to the switch axis 9 and the spring anchor 11 that it will move across a dead center position as the switch is thrown and cause it not only to avoid assuming an intermediate position but also to be held in the last position in which the switch was thrown. Preferably the dummy yard tracks are mounted on aboard and form a dummy yard which is arranged and set up in each yard office and at switch leads and at other desired points.

The dummy car, which in my system is intended to travel with its respective railroad car, whether loaded or empty, while it remains in existence as such, is preferably of the type illustrated in Figs. 2 and 5 to 8, and as there shown it comprises an upper waybill carrier casing 12 left open at one side which is closed by a laterally swinging hinged door 13. The casing has its upper edges bent over to form retaining flanges 14 which extend about the margin of the casing, except along its open side, and serve to retain in place a glass or other transparent sheet 15 between which and the bottom 16 of the easing I interpose a folded way bill 17. The way-bill carrier casing 12 is connected by elements 18 with a type carrier 19, which, as shown in Fig. 8, is a casing or form having its bottom portion left open and having mounted therein type, type slabs, or stereotype blocks or other printing means 20 which are set therein and held in place by a clamp screw 21 screwed through an end wall of the case and having a jamb nut 22 thereon. The outer screw head 28 is preferably shaped to form a curved bumper to engage and push the next dummy car ahead of it along the dummy tracks. The connecting members 18 between the way bill and type carriers are of such width as to pass freely between the spaced tracks 5 and to permit the dummy car with ease to pass into and out of the switch tracks into the lead track and thence into the main track, it being noted, however, that a dummy cannot be lifted out of, or moved otherwise than along, its tracks exactly as its respective railroad car must follow its tracks. I thus avoid casual disarrangement of the dummies and force them to be moved just as the railroad cars that they represent must move. The switches 8 are operated by a finger or pencil, or other means to direct the dummy cars into the desired tracks.

The way-bill data set up in the type carrier 19 give such information as is customarily needed to handle the railroad car to which the dummy corresponds, such being the information which is now shown on ab stracts, interchanges, train books, consists, passing reports, etc, and it will be observed that this matter is so arranged that it can be printed on the exposed face of the folded way bill, and this is done so that the printed waybill data is displayed through the glass or other transparent dummy top, as shown in Fig. 5, and therefore can be observed without requiring the removal of the way bill from its carrier-12. When more detailed information is desired, the hinged door 13 may be opened and the complete way bill readily slipped out, unfolded and examined to furnish such detailed information as is now shown on a regular way bill., Preferably the bottom wall 16 of the way bill carrier is cut away, as indicated by dotted lines 24 in Fig. 5, to facilitate the removal of the folded way bill.

In addition to the dummy cars which travel with the railroad cars, I provide, as shown in Fig. 9, a different type of car which I call acopy dummy car. This is preferably made of light metal and, as shown, comprises a fiat top 25 having depending members 18% corresponding to 18, and bottom flanges 26. It is adapted to run on tracks 5 similar to the dummy tracks already described, and which are set up at a yard lead, such as the yard lead track 2 which is shown, but it will be understood that there is need for copy dummy tracks only at the station points where there are a number of yard leads. The tracks for the copy dummy cars will correspond to the switching tracks that run into a lead track. A print or reproduction to be taken from each original dummy of a car to be handled on such lead track is mounted on the top 25 of a coresponding copy dummy car, being preferably a printed slip pasted thereon, but such slip may be held thereon in any desired manner. These copy dummy cars at a lead station are moved always in their tracks to correspond to movements of the railroad car that they represent and when a cut of cars is being handled by a switch engine the copy dummy cars representing the railroad cars in the out are switched in the dummy tracks at the lead station by the man with the engine and he gives by telephone or otherwise a report of his switching to the yardmaster at yard office who switches the original dummy cars in like manner. Thereby dummy cars at lead station and at yard office are put through the same move ments as the railroad cars. The switch foreman gets information to switch cars from the copy dummy cars at lead station. He may either copy the data showing to what track to switch the cars and use same as a'switch list, or he may pull the copy dummy cars out into a copy dummy c'ar carrier and use them as a switch list, putting themafter switching a cut into the copy dummy car track corresponding to the tracks where he left the railroad cars, and thus the dummy cars are at all times in position correspondmg to the railroad cars that they represent. Preferably each original dummy car will be provided with a clamp 27 such as indicated in Fig. 2, which clamp will serve to mount on the top of the dummy car a print 28 (see Fig. 2) taken from the type of that dummy car. The purpose of this print is to be a station point record of a railroad car while it was at said station point. Said print is retained on file after car has departed. On arrival of a dummy at a station point a print corresponding to 28 is taken, stamped and filed as a temporary record slip in a record case which forms the subject matter of a separate application of date July 8th, 1922. Upon the departure of the car from said station point the permanent record print 28 is taken from its dummy and filed to form the permanent record slip or report for the car, its temporary record slip being then destroyed.

I provide for each dummy yard what I term a print track which is more fully illus trated in Figs. 10 to 12. The print track is adapted to alignwith and to receive the dummy cars from the main dummy yard track 1 and it comprises a base 29 which has hinged to uprights 30 at one or more points a swinging track section proper comprising a pair of spaced plates 31 connected by arched webs or connecting bars 32 and having the upper flanges 5*, corresponding to the track flanges 5 and similarly spaced, and having depending flanges 33 which extend normally into position to contact with the type carrier 19. The way-bill carrier 12 will pass under the arched bars 32. The track plates 31 are joined at each side to vertical side members 34, the bottom one of which is adapted to engage the base 29 and support the track in normal or dummy-receiving or discharging position. In the bottom edge of the sides 34 I provide roller guide grooves 35 which come uppermost when the hinged track section is grasped by its handle 36 and swung over to its dotted position shown in Fig. 10. When in this position the arched connecting bars 32 engage and rest on the side wall 37 of the base and support the type carrier with the type in upper or exposed position. The type thus exposed may be inked in any suitable rnanner but preferably by an inking roll 42 which can be run back and forth over all the dummies in the inverted print track then running over the type carriers a printing roller 42 having side flanges 43 which run in the guide grooves 35. The gummed strip of paper is used to make record slips adapted to be pasted on the tops of the copy dummy cars.

I show in Fig. 13 a suitable carrier for carrying a train of dummy cars between station points or yards, that shown being a light sheet-metal frame 44 formed in sections hinged back to back at 45 and having in their front walls slots 46 to receive and hold the dummy cars. This arrangement protects the type and leaves exposed the printed sides of the way bills so that the latter can be noted at a glance. Any suitable means may be employed to hold the cars in the carriers. In a carrier 47 for use by a switchman a celluloid or transparent cover 48 may be placed over the copy dummy tops to protect them from the weather, as indicated in Fig. 14.

The business of railroad yards is to get or receive a car or cut of cars loaded or empty from industries, team tracks, freight houses, company material-loading places, connecting lines and inbound trains; to dispose of said cars or cuts of cars after proper switch handling to industries, team tracks, freight houses, company material-unloading places, connecting lines and outbound trains; to

keep proper record of car handling; and to make proper reports. In the operation of my invention for conducting such business, all tracks at a station point will be represented by dummy tracks on a board in the yard olfice, all cars at a point will be represented by the original dummy cars which are placed on corresponding tracks in the yard ofiice and by copy dummy cars at a lead station in whose territory the car is.

No railroad car is moved except by engine in charge of a responsible person. When said person handles a car or out of cars and changes its or their positions to other yard tracks, he reports through lead station, equipped with private phone system, to the yardmaster, who makes similar changes of dummy cars on yard board in yard office to the changes of copy dummy cars on the lead stand tracks. Therefore dummy cars on the yard board always stand in the same tracks as do the railroad cars which they represent and as do the copy dummy cars at lead stalading received from the industry. He'writes proper information on the way bill, folds it, stamps it with an impression of the dummy type, places it in top of dummy Way bill carrier under glass cover with the printed way bill exposed. The yardmaster moves the dummy car to position corresponding with that to which an engine foreman moves its corresponding railroad car from the industry. Cars loaded on team tracks, company material-loading places and freight houses are handled in like manner, except that way bills for peddler merchandise cars are mailed to destination and a folder in way-bill carrier shows merchandise'for various people just as a car way bill now does. from connections and on inbound trains are accompanied by dummy cars which are placed in the yard board track to correspond to the track where their respective railroad cars are placed. Cars placed at industry or team tracks or company material points for unloading or freight houses are reported and dummy cars corresponding to them are similarly placed. When the cars are unloaded and pulled away from such'points, the party at yard office makes similar change in position of dummy cars, removes way bill and type referring to the load that was removed from the car, makes proper disposition of the way bill and type, places an empty type slab in the type carrier in place of the removed type, takes a print showing Empty and places it in the way bill carrier. When cars are delivered to connecting lines or outbound trains, the original dummy cars pass into the print track, the desired number of prints are taken, and then the cars are passed into the dummy car carrier and are taken with the railroad cars which they represent. The dummies of cars coming into and going out from a station point must always pass through print tracks where the necessary number of prints are taken and proper disposition is made of such prints, one print of the car as received being stamped and filed in record case, and another being stamped and attached by clip on top of the original dummy car whereupon is written any such record as is desired referring to the car to which it relates. Said latter print is removed from dummy,

Cars coming stamped and filed in record case after the first filed print (temporary inbound record) has been removed. This permanent record print is to be removed from the dummy when the car is forwarded or placed for unloading. The permanent print when filed becomes a points complete record of car and load, except another print is filed according to dates which corresponds to train sheets now filed.

Prints of dummy yard may be taken daily 7 by sliding all dummy cars into the print track, from one track at a time, and sliding them back, such prints being filed to show position of all cars in yards at the time print was taken.

If not desired to use'the copy dummy cars at lead stations, the engine foreman may take a memorandum by phone or otherwise, from the yardmaster, of cars to be switched and use same to switch the cars.

Though I have described with great par- I ticularity the details of the embodiment of the invention herein shown, it is not to be construed that I am limited thereto, as changes in arrangement and substitution of equivalents may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. An improved method of directing the switching of, and keeping records relative to, freight cars, which consists in transporting with each railroad car its respective dummy, arranging and moving said dummies at each switching point to correspond with the movement of their respective railroad cars, and providing each dummy with the waybill data required for records and reports of its respective car.

2. An improved method of directing the switching of, and keeping records relative to, freight cars, which consists in transporting with each railroad car its respective dummy, arranging and moving said dummies at each switching point to correspond with the movements of their respective railroad cars, pro viding each dummy with way-bill data required for records and reports of its respective car in a form from which they can be mechanically reproduced, and reproducing said data at each switching point in a form suitable for records and reports.

3. In a railroad car switching and transportation recordsystem, dummy cars each representative of a railroad car and having means to reproduce mechanically way-bill data for its respective railroad car, in combination with miniature yard track systems for said dummy cars.

4. In a railroad car switching and transportation record system, dummy cars each representative of a railroad car and having means to reproduce mechanically way-bill data for its respective railroad car, and carrier means for transporting a train of dummies along with a train of the railroad cars that they represent.

5. In a railroad car switching and transportation record system, dummy cars each representative of a railroad car and having means to reproduce mechanically way-bill data for its respective railroad car, and carrier means for transporting a train of dummies along with a train of the railroad cars that they represent, said means being adapted to hold the dummies in the order in which they are mounted in such carrier.

6. In a railroad car switching and trans portation record system, dummy cars each representative of a railroad car and having means to reproduce mechanically way bill data for its respective railroad car, and a dummy track yard at each switching station corresponding to the railroad switching yard at such station.

7. In a railroad car switching and transportation record system, dummy cars each representative of a railroad car and having means to reproduce mechanically way-bill data for its respective railroad car, and a dummy track yard at each switching station corresponding to the railroad switching yard at such station, the dummies and their tracks having engaging parts adapted to confine the dummies to movement along the tracks.

8. In an apparatus of the character described, dummy tracks corresponding to yard tracks at a switching point, and dummies,

corresponding to all railroad cars being handled at such point, which are movable on said tracks to follow movements of their respective railroad cars, and means to mark each dummy to designate its respective rail road car.

9. In an apparatus of the character described, tracks for dummy cars arranged to correspond to the yard tracks at a railroad switching point, and dummies, each bearing indicia relative to a railroad car, which are adapted to be moved about on their tracks to follow their respective railroad car movements on the yard tracks, and a carrier adapted to receive a train of dummy cars, corresponding to the cars in a train, from the dummy yard tracks.

10. In an apparatus of the character described, tracks for dummy cars arranged to correspond to the yard tracks at a railroad switching point, and dummies, each bearing indicia relative to a railroad car, which are adapted to be moved about on their tracks to follow their respective railroad car movements on the yard tracks, and a carrier adapted to receive a train of dummy cars, corresponding to the cars in a train, from the dummy yard tracks, said carrier comprising means to hold the dummy cars in the same relative order in which they were introduced thereinto.

11. In an apparatus of the character described, a dummy, representative of a railroad car, having printing means for reproducing data relative to the railroad car it represents, in combination with miniature yard track systems for aplurality of said dummies.

12. In an apparatus of the character described, a dummy, representative of a railroad car, having changeable printing means for reproducing data relative to the railroad car it represents, in combination with miniature yard track systems for a plurality of said elements.

13. In an apparatus of the character described, a dummy car having a printing frame, and means to clamp in place therein type for reproducing data relative to the car and its contents which the dummy represents, in combination with miniature yard track systems tor a plurality of said dummies.

14. In an apparatus of the character described, a dummy car having a printing frame underneath, means to clamp in place therein type for reproducing data relative to the car and its contents which the dummy represents, means overhead to display a reproduction of said data, in combination with miniature yard track systems for a plurality of said dummies.

15. In an apparatus of the character described, a dummy, representative of a railroad car and adapted to travel therewith, having means for displaying printed data relating to the railroad car it represents, in combination with miniature yard track systems for a plurality of said dummies.

16. In an apparatus of the character described, a dummy, representative of a railroad car and adapted to travel therewith, having means for carrying the way bill of the railroad car it represents, in combination with miniature yard track systems for a plurality of said dummies.

17. In an apparatus of the character described, a dummy, representative of a railroad car and adapted to travel therewith, having a compartment for carrying a folded way bill, in combination with miniature yard track systems for a plurality of said dummies.

18. In an apparatus of the character de scribed, a dummy, representative of a railroad car and adapted to travel therewith, having a compartment with a transparent cover for carrying a folded way bill, in combination with miniature track systems for a plurality of said dummies.

19. In an apparatus of the character clescribed, a dummy, representative of a railroad car and adapted to travel therewith, having a way-bill carrier, and a carrier for type adapted to print the way-bill data needed for records and reports.

20. In an apparatus of the character described, a dummy, representative of a railroad car and adapted to travel therewith, having spaced top and bottom members, and relatively narrow elements connecting said members, the top member being adapted to display printed way-bill data.

21. In an apparatus of the character described, a dummy, representative of a railroad car and adapted to travel therewith, having spaced top and bottom members, and relatively narrow elements connecting said members, the top member being adapted to display printed way-billdata and the bottom member to print such data.

. 22. In combination with dummies representative of railroad cars and having each a type means for printing record and report data relative to the railroad car it represents, a print track adapted to receive said dummies, and means totake reproductions. from the typeof the dummies in said track.

23. In combination with dummies representative of railroad cars and having each a type means for printing record and report data relative to the railroad car it represents, a print track adapted to receive said dummies, and means to take reproductions on a paper strip from the type of the dummies in said track.

24. Incombination with dummies representative of railroad ears and having bottom printing means for reproducing record and report data relative to the railroad car it represents, a print track adapted to receive a train of dummies and to be inverted to expose their printing means, and means to take reproductions from the type of the several dummies in the print track.

25. In combination, dummies representative of railroad cars and each carrying means for printing the necessary data for records and reports of the car it represents, a dummy yard comprising tracks along which the dummies are movable, a print track adapted to receive or deliver dummies to the dummy yard tracks, and means to take reproductions from the printing means of the dummies in said print track.

26. In combination, dummies representative of railroad cars and each carrying means for printing the necessary data for records and reports of the car it represents,

a dummy yard comprising tracks along which the dummies are movable, a print track adapted to receive or deliver dummies to the dummy yard tracks, and means to take reproductions from the printing means of the dummies in said print track, said means comprising rolls of gummed and ungummed pa per, an inking roll and an impression roll.

27. A dummy car, representative of a railroad car, having a compartment adapted to receive a folded way bill, a spring clip adapted to hold a record slip on top of said compartment, and a carrier for type adapted to print way-bill data needed for records and reports.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature.

LEON M. GIBBS. 

